In an open letter to the paper, Scorsese wrote, “I’m proud of Blackie, who laid it on the line and dared to risk the sympathy of her audience. Let’s just say that on the set, she had a fitting nickname: Citizen Canine. The bath scene alone is a masterpiece of underplaying, with Blackie’s wonderfully aquiline face accentuated by the 3-D.”

Dog News Daily quickly responded with the offer of a nomination if Blackie could get 500 likes on their Facebook page. If he did that, he’d be considered as a “write-in” nominee. Within 24 hours, Blackie had met and exceeded this goal according to the dog-loving site. The addition of Blackie to the list of nominees will surely stiffen the competition for the other pups who include audience favorite Uggie from “The Artist” and Cosmo from Mike Mills’ “Beginners.” In fact, Uggie will be competing against himself in the “Best Dog in a Theatrical Film” category for his performance in “Water for Elephants”.

This will be the inaugural year for the Golden Collar awards, who will also present an honorary award to Charlize Theron for her work on behalf of animals. We’ll find out who’s top dog when the Golden Collar winners are announced on Feb. 13.

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About Erica Evans

Erica is a DC resident who currently works as a consultant on issue campaigns dealing with election fairness. In the past she's worked on women's rights, health care, and tax policy. She hopes her work with Ecorazzi will successfully blend her unhealthy obsession with pop culture and her inner activist.